Advertising poster frame



July 1, 1952 R. A. A. COUZINET ADVERTISING POSTER FRAME Filed Aug. 23, 1949 v BY ATTORNEYS Patented July 1, H552 ADVERTISING POSTER FRAME RenAlexandre Arthur Couzinet, Paris, France Application August 23, 1949, Serial No. 111,791 In France September 30, 1948 3 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to frames for holding and keeping in a stretched state a flexible sheet, for instance of paper, fabric or any other material and in particular for holding advertising posters.

Its main object is to provide a frame of this kind which is particularly simple and easy to assemble.

The frame according to my invention is constituted by a plurality of independentsides assembled together by engagement into one another and some of which are provided with means for detachable fixation of the sheet to be framed, which, once fixed in position, cooperates in keeping said sides assembled together.

A second feature of my invention consists, while securing the sheet to be stretched to the sides of the frame by wedging of said sheet in grooves running over the whole length of said sides and intended to receive locking rods adapted to be elastically inserted in said grooves, in making some of these rods, preferably, in the case of a rectangular frame, those corresponding only to two opposite sides of the frame, of shorter length than the corresponding grooves, whereby the marginal portion of the sheet to be stressed passes with a continuous curvature from one side of the frame to the next side.

A preferred embodiment of my invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, given merely by way of example and in which:

Fig. 1 shows, in front view, a frame for an advertising poster made according to my invention, the poster being in position in said frame;

Fig. 2 is a section of one side of this frame shown in perspective View;

' Fig. 3 shows, also in perspective View, the assembly of two adjacent sides of said frame before fixation of the poster;

Fig. 4 shows the same sides slightly moved apart from each other;

Finally, Fig. 5 shows the same assembly, seen from the rear, once the poster fixed in position.

In what follows, the invention will be described as applied to the case of a rectangular frame intended to hold and keep in the stretched state an advertising poster I made of a flexible material such, for instance, as paper.

This frame includes, in the usual manner, two large sides 2a and two small sides 2b adapted to be assembled together by engagement into one another, for which purpose, for instance, their ends are bevelled and the small sides 21) are provided with tenons 3 adapted to engage in mortises 4 provided in the end portions of the large sides 2a.

According to the main features of my invention, I provide, on at least some of the sides of the frame, means for detachably securing poster I which, once set in position, serves to keep said sides assembled together.

I thus form a dismountable structure which permits of transporting the frame and the poster under a small volume, the, sides of the frame being placed side by side to form a bundle and the poster being rolled up. Furthermore, assembly of the elements of the frame can be obtained in a simple and quick manner merely by engaging tenons 3 into mortises 4. Finally, once the poster has been fixed to at least some of the sides of said frame through the detachable fixation means which will be more explicitly mentioned hereinafter, the whole is of a rigidity and strength equivalent to those of frames having their sides glued or nailed together.

Concerning said detachable fixation means, they are preferably constituted in such manner that they hold poster l by wedging, so that said poster undergoes no punching which might start tearing when said poster is being stretched.

For this purpose, advantageously I make use of a fixation system of the. kind of those used for certain drawing boards and which includerods engaging elastically into grooves, the sheets to be maintained being caught between the rod and the wall of the groove.

Preferably, this fixation system is made as illustrated by the drawing, according to which embodiment,

I provide, in each of the sides of the frame, a groove of quadrangular section designated by reference number 2a for the large sides and 2% for the small sides, said groove running over the whole of the side that is being considered.

I further provide, to be respectively engaged into said grooves, rods 5 having, preferably, a natural elasticity in the transverse direction, whereby the wedging effect can be obtained without necessity of providing leaf springs or similar devices in the walls of the groove, the transverse elasticity in question being obtained, for instance by providing discontinuous longitudinal saw cuts 6 in rods 5.

Then, preferably, I manage so that the rods 5 relating to two opposite sides, for instance to the small sides 2b, run over the whole length of the corresponding groove 2b and that the rods relating to the two other sides, in that case the large sides 2a, are shorter than the groove 2a in which they are to be inserted.

In this Way and as clearly shown by Fig. 5, it is possible to leave a certain margin between each end of a rod running along a large side and the adjacent ends of the rods running along the small sides, this margin enabling the sheet to pass with a gradual curvature from the plane of wedging parallel to the large side to the planes of wedging parallel to said small sides.

It will be readily understood that such an arrangement considerably reduces the risks of tearing of poster I at the corners of the frame.

Finally and although nothing has been specified on this point in what precedes, it is clear that it will be of interest to provide the fixation system above described on the rear face of the frame (wall side), none of the elements of said system being then visible to an observer located at the front.

Of course one may provide the frame thus constituted with any suitable hookingsystem, for instance an angle piece with a perforated branch fixed on its large upper side.

In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be practical-and efiicient embodiments of my invention,

, it should be Well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principal of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

l. A display device which comprises, in cornbination, a plurality of side members assembled to one another to form a frame, the adjoining 'endsof two consecutive side members forming a tongue and groove joint, at least some of said members being provided with grooves running parallel to their longitudinal directions, respectively, a sheet of a flexible material stretched across said frame and rods elastically wedged in said grooves, respectively, over the edges of said sheet so as to secure said sheet in said side members, whereby said sheet holds said side members assembled together.

2. A display device which comprises, in combination, a plurality of side members assembled to one another to form a frame, the adjoining ends of two consecutive side members forming a tongue and groove joint, at least some of said members being provided with grooves running parallel to their longitudinal directions, respectively, a sheet of a flexible material stretched across said frame and rods elastically wedged in said grooves, respectively, over the edges of said sheet so as to secure said sheet in said side members, whereby said sheet holds said side members assembled together, some of said rods being shorter than the respective grooves in which they are engaged to permit clenching of the flexible sheet in said grooves without risk of tearing said'sheet.

3. A display device which comprises, in combination, a plurality of side members assembled to one another to form a frame, the adjoining ends of two consecutive side members forming a tongue and groove joint, at least some of said members being provided with grooves running parallel to their longitudinal directions, respectively, a sheet of a flexible material stretched across said frame and rods elastically wedged in said groove, respectively, over the edges of said sheet so as to secure said sheet in said side members, whereby said sheet holds said side members assembled together, the rods located in two parallel sides respectively being shorter than the respectivegrooves in which they are engaged to permit clenching of the flexible sheet in said grooves without risk of tearing said sheet.

RENE ALEXANDRE' ARTHUR COUZINET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES I PATENTS Number Name Date 1,772,780 Milone Aug. 12, 1930 2,083,354 Whittier June 8, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 37 Great Britain Jan. 1, 1894 

